Probiotics and prebiotics for healthful benefits

摘要

Prebiotics and probiotic -- what exactly are they, and why should food-product developers care? Simply stated, probiotics are health-enhancing bacteria often added to foods or taken as supplements (for example, the live bacterial cultures in yogurt), and prebiotics are nondigestible food components (for example, oligosaccharides) that sustain and nourish the growth of probiotics in the digestive tract. Together, probiotics and prebiotics offer pathways to a whole new generation of engineered functional foods designed to meet the ever-changing demands of today's health-conscious consumers. Healthy bacteria in the form of intestinal flora flourish naturally in the gastrointestinal system, where they limit the ability of harmful bacteria to multiplyand thrive. But as we age, when we encounter stress or when we ingest antibiotics, the populations of these good bacteria tend to diminish inside the body, leaving humans more vulnerable to gastrointestinal disorders and disease. By consuming probiotic food supplements and prebiotic bacterialgrowth enhancers, one replenishes the needed supplies of the "good guys."